Church
A Church is the largest organizational level of religious followers for a particular deity. Churches often will have several subgroups in the form of Orders , Royal Orders , Societies , Sects and Cults. These various groups are often identified by their size, organizational complexity, potence and popularity. Role of Churches Clerics are unique among the standard classes in that they are generally members of an organization by default—the church devoted to their patron deity. Not only are they members of this organization, they are, to some extent, leaders of it. A paladin might be the leader of a lawful good church, or could be a member of a knightly order that champions law and good independent of any particular religion. In any case, the church is an important part—if not the most important part—of any cleric or paladin’s life. Missions of Churches No matter what the relationship between character and church, clerics and paladins may find themselves called upon to perform specific tasks for the benefit of the church or order and the advancement of its goals in the world. Adventuring clerics and paladins are the ideal agents—obviously better suited to this sort of work than a sedentary temple cleric who hasn’t swung a mace in a decade. The kinds of missions a church might assign to a cleric or paladin depend on the specific nature of the church—not just its alignment, but the role of the deity and how the church advances the deity’s goals. Church Support What support might a church give to adventuring clerics and paladins? Lodging: If a secure lodging or safe house is needed, a local temple might provide it. Spellcasting: While temple clerics usually charge for spellcasting, they tend to look more favorably on an adventuring group if it contains one of their own. Also, one advantage of undertaking a mission directly for a church is that its clerics often cast healing spells for those on the mission at no charge. The temple clerics may cast other spells the party needs at no cost, or for the cost of the material components and 5 gp per XP a spell requires. Equipment:'''The local temple might acquire normal equipment at a small discount (10% to 20%) for PC clerics or paladins. If the cleric or paladin is of the same alignment as the church and is on a mission for that church, the equipment might even be free for the PC. Magic items, scrolls, or potions may be available, depending on the size of the temple and the surrounding town. If so, the local temple may loan those items to PC clerics or paladins with the understanding that the item will be returned or paid for at the end of the mission. '''Money: A local temple may loan money to clerics or paladins. The amount of money available varies with the size of the organization. Whether the local temple charges interest, and how much, varies with its alignment and situation. People and Information: If a service or item is not available through the local temple, its clerics might be able to suggest where to look for services and information. For instance, they might provide the location of an arcane spellcaster if such is needed. A local temple often houses records and archives to which clerics, paladins, and other adventurers may gain access. When trying to gain this access, it’s useful for a PC cleric or paladin to present a good case that the information is needed for an important mission. Known Churches Church Category:Organization by Type Category:Organization by Size